DAVIS CUP - ITALY vs USA

September 25, 1998

Davide Sanguinetti

Q. You have never played him before. When did you feel that you were going to beat him; that this guy was beatable? He was the favorite.

DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: Well, he was the favorite, but I mean, in Davis Cup we saw that nobody is favorite. As soon as you get in the court we are even. So I got that as advantage. I had nothing to lose, so I played the way I played.

DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: It is like a superstition all the time when we play this year Gaudenzi played first and I won. So it was good. So it kind of like we keep doing that fortunately because it is like tough you have to pick.

DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: Well, all the match it went through my mind. I mean, I was trying to concentrate like Paolo was telling me -- the captain was telling me like try to not to hit the ball hard, just play the ball. Play the first serve, so he wouldn't return and come to the net. So chip and charge. So that was -- didn't follow that too much.

DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: Yeah, I was. I mean, physically I am perfect right now. I run. I don't get tired. I mean, it is -- I never been like that. I mean, we did a good job in these two weeks, and tennis -- when I am like running that way, it is easier for me to play tennis. I recover all the courts faster, so it is kind of nice to play like that.

DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: Well, it is still like a long way to go. I mean, we still need one more point. So we have to concentrate on this point.

DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: Well, actually we did. I mean, like last -- like ten minutes every practice, hours, we played a tiebreak, but I didn't win that many, so I am happy today that I won it.

DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: I would like to.

DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: Well, we wouldn't believe it. But I mean, we did it, so.....

DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: Well, that is like their business. I mean, I feel like -- I mean, Sampras say this year that he didn't want to play just because he want to be the No. 1 at the end of the year, this year. I mean, it is not that easy to get No. 1, so I think he want to go to history, six years in a row, is a good thing. About Agassi, I didn't read that much, but I mean, he was like kind of like the Federation should help him a little bit because he was the first player.

DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: We were in Italy and we played like in a really, really fast surface and we were like thinking, gosh, we hope it is not that fast because it is not good for the public coming; it is just serves; it is no fun to play and watch. But when we got here, it was so slow, we could practice in clay and it was good. I mean, it wasn't that fast.

DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: Well, I mean, I have been playing all week here and I am playing like I used to play, like really good all week so I mean I wasn't surprised I played that well.